So, it's been about 3 months since I even considered posting anything new. I've been putting the StrongLifts weight lifting plan to the test. So far, I really enjoy it! It's still too early to really compare the benefits of such a workout plan, but so far, I think I'm making phenomenal progress, especially in the power-lifts such as squats and deadlifts.
But that's not why I'm posting today. I want to clear up a misconception. I'm not going to talk in (highly) scientific terms, but I want to get the point across about a horrible misconception that has plagued our dietary society since the 80's (no, spandex and big hair is not what I'm going to talk about!). The misconception is: All fats are bad.
Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, some fats are *gasp* essential! Not only that, cutting these fats out of your diet actually does the one thing we are striving NOT to do by eliminating these fats; it makes your body ... wait for it... store MORE fat!
This blog is not a free pass to start ignoring fat content in foods all together. It is however a guide to what kind of fats you should be eating. And to make it simpler, I'll make a list of all the foods containing these good monosaturated fats to take all the guesswork out of it for you. To go one better, I'll point out the 1 word on nutrition labels to always look out for and AVOID at all costs. So lets get started!
Your body needs fat. It can't live without it. Its used to build and repair organ tissue, its stored in muscle tissue for "fast access" when digested food is not readily available. When your body doesn't get enough fat through diet, it then need to resort to making fats from the food you do intake which does two things: 1. takes the calories from protein, sugars and fibers that could be put to better use and makes the fats from them 2. The fats that it does make are less efficient because they are not "essential" or "complete" fats.
"But wait, Mike, won't eating too much fat make me ... fat?!". Yes, and actually eating too much extra lean ground turkey will make you fat too!! The key is making the fats part of your balanced diet. It all comes down to this: fats pack more than twice the calorie content than protein and carbs. Each gram of fat makes up 9 calories, while protein and carbs weigh in at a measly 4 calories per gram. That means you need less than half of the amount of fats in your diet than you need of carbs and proteins. In reality, the amount required is much less than half... Ideally, your fat claoric intake should be no more than 20 - 25% of all the calories you consume. Notice, that number is not 0! for a 2000 calorie diet, that means that 400 - 500 of the calories you eat that day need to come from fat. The GOOD fats! Ok, I'll get to that next.
Part of the misconception is that all fats are created equally. Nothing is further from the truth. The Omega fats (Omega-3, Omega-6, and Omega-9) are the essential fatty acids needed for building a better body. Ideally, they need to be balanced as well. That's a whole other topic though. The important thing is that these are monounsaturated fats. The scientific difference is that there are less bonds between carbon molecules, making them incredibly easy to break down for quick energy (as far as fats are concerned anyway). These fats are found in foods like fish, nuts, avocado, eggs, plants, seeds, and fruit. Yes, I said fruit. Trace amounts of these are found in almost all kinds of fruits.
Polyunsaturated fats are the next best thing, but less than ideal because its harder to break down, and stores more easily. These fats are found in foods like nuts, seeds, oils, and fish. Finally, there's the saturated fats. Saturated fats are fats that have the full amount of bonds between the carbon molecules, making them a little harder to break down and better candidates for storage. These fats are are found in animal meats, primarily.
Next, there's "Trans fats". These are bad news. They sound so weird... like they're almost not fats. But nothing is further from the truth. These fats have double bonds between carbon atoms leaving less hydrogen atoms in the fat. What makes this especially dangerous is when hydrogen atoms are chemically infused into these fats (which can't be done to a saturated fat!) through a process called Hydrogenation. That even sounds innocent and somewhat healthy. But these man-made fats are among the worst for you. It takes an enormous amount of energy to break down these double-bonded carbon fats and the extra hydrogen in the Hydrogenated fats (that's the Magic word in case you haven't figured it out!!) make it really sticky and gooey and hard for your body to get rid of.
So where do I find these so called "trans fatty acids"? Don't shoot the messenger. Cake, muffins, pie crust, cookie dough, doughnuts, hell any kind of pastry. The root cause is vegetable shortening. And, if you ever wonder "How do they get these cakes to stay so moist?". The answer is: Hydrogenated oil. Not only is it horrible for you, but because its so hard to break down, it makes a fantastic preservative. Your twinkie will last for months in the open air without going bad... think about that before you indulge.
So in summary: Monounsaturated & Polyunsaturated fats = good news. Trans fats = bad news. If you see the word "Hydrogenated" anywhere on the label of the food you're thinking about eating... throw it away and pick something else.
So I promised to make things simple. "Mike, where do I get my good fats?" From this list:
Avocado, olives, extra virgin olive oil, almonds, other nuts, flax seeds, fish, fish oil supplements (only with the proper balance of omega-3 and omega-6), egg yolks, lean ground beef/chicken/turkey, beans/legumes.
Dairy can go either way. If you're over the age of 12, I don't recommend consuming a ton of dairy anyway (there's a reason mom's breasts stop making milk after a few months). It's good to add to your oatmeal or cereal, or the occasional dish of ice cream. I wouldn't make it a staple though.
Where can I find bad fats?
Any unrefrigerated pastry found in a grocery store, cakes, pies. Anything that has the word Hydrogenated on the label. Animal fats. Keep these to a minimum. The rare exception being fish - the small amount of fat in fish is all good fats. Even the fattiest (tuna, Mackerel) don't pose a threat.
Hope this helps. If you were hoping I'd tell you that your dunkin donuts or starbucks pastry was going to be OK, I thought you knew me better. As always, email me with any questions!
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